Apparatus and method for growing legume sprouts

ABSTRACT

A new hydroponically oriented apparatus for the sprouting of legume plants such as alfalfa, green beans, wheat and the like is disclosed. A unique process for sprouting of the legumes from seed, which includes the step of mineralizing the sprouts is also disclosed.

PREVIOUS APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of my application Ser. No.636,818 filed Dec. 1, 1975 (now abandoned), and bearing attorney docketnumber 1047,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for the production oflegume sprouts from seed.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Applicant is aware of the following U.S. Patents, none of which pertainto the apparatus or method disclosed herein.

    ______________________________________                                        von Skrbensky 2,051,460 ; Stroller  2,522,409                                 Hammerstrom   2,296,849 : Martin    2,928,211                                 Martin        3,458,951 ; Mun       3,616,560                                 Poindexter    3,643,376 ; Yoo       3,768,201                                 ______________________________________                                    

In brief, the above patents disclose their apparatus and methods forgrowing plants from seeds. Thus, von Skrbensky discloses a process forraising plants from seeds which comprises treating the seeds at anelevated temperature in the presence of a nutrient material whichincludes alkali, thiocyanates and iodine salts. Here, the seedsthemselves are treated, and later the rootlets of the new plants aretreated.

Hammerstrom et al discloses a cabinet for the quick sprouting of soybeans. Note, however, that his chamber does not employ light of anytype.

In the Martin U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,211 the trays that are employed aresolid trays rather than a screen material for the germination of theseeds. In addition, both the apparatus and the process of feeding theplants differ from those of the applicant.

In Martin U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,211 which relates to the growing ofgrasses for animal feeding, there is no provision for misting of theplants as is carried out by applicant in his attempt to mimic nature. Inthis reference, the feeding of the plants is from the bottom through theroots.

Mun teaches a unique process which combines the use of both hot and coldwater for the growth of bean sprouts. This process does not employ anylight source to aid in the growth of the plants.

In Yoo the seeds are not anchored into a growing tray, in any manner,but a free to bounce around as is shown in FIG. 1. Indeed, the processof feeding chelated chemicals is also not to be found in this reference.

Stoller employs a process for sprouting legumes that employs an ester ofa phenoxy aliphatic acid. The use of such reagent would be deemedunacceptable to many health food enthusiasts in today's market.

In Poindexter, the process is dissimilar to that of applicant, in thatno sunlight or other light device is employed and the feed nutrientsdiffer.

Applicant is also familiar with Ashmead et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,296issued Mar. 25, 1975 which utilizes similar chelated minerals to thoseof applicant, but for a different purpose in a different process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention, withthe top section removed therefrom.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pump and misting system employed inthe embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, including the topsection.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view-partial sectional view of anotherembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the growth screen employed in theapparatuses of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the base employed with the instantinvention

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing how the parts of theembodiment of FIG. 1 nest within each other for storage.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a filter to be employed in the apparatusof this invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a shaking device used optionally inconjunction with the process of this invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view of an automatic sprinkling device for use withthis invention.

From a review of the prior art, it is seen that no one sprouts legumesinvolving the use of pseudonatural misting, and no one treats the newsprouts with minerals to increase their nutritionality.

Chelation compounds are coordination compounds wherein a single ligandoccupies more than one coordination position. Such ligands are calledchelating agents as derived from the Greek meaning crab's claw. A wellknown chelating compound is ethylene diamine and it forms only covalentbonds. Others such as glycine will form both covalent and ionic bonds inthe formation of the chelating agent. Ethylenediamine is called abidentate compound in that it forms a complex with a metal termed, M.Thus typically beta-diketones form compounds of the formula below withmetals. ##STR1##

The chelating agents employed herein all employ a metal but are notbased upon ethylenediamine. Rather, the ligand is a proteinate.

The compositions utilized herein include any and preferably all of thefollowing metals as elements to be employed in the formation of thecomplexes; namely calcium, magnesium, sodium, chromium, potassium,copper, zinc, iron, and manganese. All of these are trace minerals whichare deemed not only beneficial to the growth of the alfalfa plant fromthe sprout, but the minerals are also beneficial to man and beast whosup upon the alfalfa. This will be discussed in detail infra.

In order to introduce chelated minerals to the alfalfa plants in ascientific manner, I have invented the sprouting devices which aredisclosed in this patent application, and a 2 part process involving theuse of such apparatuses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the production of sprouted legumes, such asalfalfa, wheat and bean sprouts and is more particularly concerned witha process for feeding the newly germinated seeds with chelated minerals.A new apparatus for carrying out the procedure is also discussed.

Sprouted legumes, the so-called Chinese dishes in America, constituteone of the chief fresh vegetable ingredients in the diet of orientalpopulations. Since the discovery that the sprouted legumes are rich invitamins, especially vitamin C, and high in proteins but relatively lowin carbohydrates, their use in America has increased considerably.

The increase in natural food enthusiasts and their low price per poundhave contributed to the increased consumption of sprouted legumes. Manydifferent legumes may be used for sprouting, such as different varietiesof the following: the mung bean, soybean, cowpeas, garbanzo, tapilan,cadios (Cajanus cajan Springl.), and the winged bean (Psophocarpustetragonolabus L.) and alfalfa, which is often used in salads andsandwiches. The three legumes most commonly eaten as sprouts aredifferent varieties of the soybean, the mung bean and the alfalfa.

It is seen that while the disclosure will relate primarily to alfalfa,the apparatus and the process of this invention find equal applicabilityin the production of other legume sprouts. Thus, hereinafter whereappropriate, discussion that relates to alfalfa will in fact relate tolegumes in general.

The discussion will first relate to the germination device, and theprocess for germination, followed by the mineral treatment process.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a a newapparatus for the germination of legume seeds.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus whereingermination will take place quickly, and easily.

Another object is to provide an apparatus that can be readily assembledand taken apart for storage by the homeowner.

A further object is to provide an apparatus that is able to employrecycled water, an important consideration in these days of limitedwater availability.

A yet further object is to provide a process for the germination oflegumes of high mineral content.

Still another object is to provide a process for the germination oflegumes in less than about half the time of previous processes.

One other object is to provide a process of building up a mineralresidual in the seeds obtained from the sprouting of the original seedsin accordance with the instant process.

other objects will in part be obvious and others will be readilydiscernible from a reading of the following specification.

It should be understood that in the several embodiments set forthherein, that like numbers refer to like parts.

For a fuller understanding of the several aspects of the instantinvention, reference should be had to the following detaileddescription.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The apparatus of this invention is one intended for the sprouting oflegumes from seeds. It consists basically of 5 main nesting parts, andas such is highly portable, as well as being capable of easy storage inthe household when not in use. These five components are best seen inFIG. 7. While not illustrated in order of assembly, they are shown inthe proper order for storage. The key parts are chamber 47; tank 45; top49 and base 43, with the growth screen being denoted as 23.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention.Cabinet 100 is a rectangular or square unit, though other shapes couldbe employed at higher manufacturing cost. The four components other thanthe screen 23 can be metal, such as stainless steel, or aluminum alloyto resist water pitting, plastic such as ABS or even wood if properlytreated to resist moisture, or any combination of same. Tank 45 is seento be removably mounted on base 43. Tank 45 is seen to have 4 upstandingwalls, the junctions of which have been sealed to prevent water leakagetherefrom. The top, not bottom of 45 is open. Lip 46 extends outwardlyaround the periphery of tank 45 and then upwardly to form a rest surfacefor chamber 47. The bottom of tank 45 rests upon the top surface of base43. As is seen from FIG. 7, base 43 is generally rectangular with a flattop surface having an opening 56 therein, which opening is incommunication with hole 52 in the bottom of tank 45. The bottom wall of45 is seen to be fit water-tight to the sidewalls.

Chamber 47 is mounted removeably within the lip 46 of tank 45. Chamber47 has 3 solid walls, 47 L,B and R as is seen in FIG. 1. The front wallconsists of a rectangular frame 48F, having an opening, preferablyrectangular 48-0. Door 12 is hingedly connected at the bottom of theframe 48F by hinge 51. Screen 23, to be described in more detail infrais seen set into chamber 47, and mounted therein removably on 4 Lbrackets 73 which are permanently secured to the inside oppositesidewalls of 47 in the same horizontal plane. Chamber 47 of thisembodiment is sized large enough to accommodate two trays 23, and assuch a second pair of brackets 73 can be mounted on the inside walls of47.

Door 12 is secured in closed position by combination latch-handle 14which engages closure mechanism 14a on the top outside portion of frame48F. Though not shown in the figure, whether-stripping or some otherseal may be employed to achieve a perfectly tight waterproof fit of door12 to the frame 48F.

Shown also is the fan mount opening 54 and mounting holes for saidfan.55., in the rear wall of 47,47B. Fan 53 not shown in this Figure isseen in FIG. 4, mounted upon the wall. Two portions of U-pipe 39 areseen in this Figure, namely horizontal pipe 38 and vertical pipe 37connected thereto. The balance of the mechanism for sprouting the legumeseed including the spray system of FIG. 2, and the top 49 and itsappurtentant hardware as shown in FIG. 3 have been omitted from thisFigure.

Turning now to FIG. 3, it is seen that top 49 is a generally rectangularsemi-domed shape member having a central flat area 50. Shown mountedsecurely on this flat area 50 are timer housing 57, containing electrictimer 58, not shown in this Figure, which is electrically connected viathe conduits 74 to a switch box 61 and to two outlet housings 59 and 64.Housing 59 has fixedly mounted therein two oconventional 110 V.electrical outlets, 60. Housing 64 has two electrical sockets 65 & 66therein, intended for plugs from the motor and from the heater, both ofwhich will be described in detail later, the sockets being denoted as 66and 65 respectively. Switches 62, 63 in housing 61 are electricallyconnected to timer 58. Light switch 62 and timer on-off switch 63 areconventional toggle switches. Since the view of FIG. 3 is a top view,aperture 9 in central area 50 is not seen in said FIG. 3. From FIG. 4,lamp housing 8 can be seen to be physically connected to timer housing57 via said aperture 9. Lamp housing 8 is a threaded metal tube that isthreadingly engaged to a suitable threaded aperture in the base of timerhousing 57. Lamp socket 10A conventionally secured in housing 8 iselectrically connected to the timer 58. Threadingly secured in socket10A is an ultraviolet lamp also known as a sunlamp, 10. Such lamps areoffered in the marketplace by such companies as General Electric andSylvania.

FIG. 4 is a combined view of a slightly different embodiment of theinvention of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the fan 53 is seen to bemounted on wall 47R, rather than in the rear as in the FIG. 1 unit. Tray23 is also located in chamber 47 at a position relatively lower than theopening of door 12. The door's bottom hinges, here 15, beingconventional hinges rather than the piano hinge 51 as in FIG. 1, areabove the tray when measured upward from the base. The balance ofcabinet, including the base 43 and tank 45 are the same as employed inthe FIG. 1 embodiment.

In this combined view, the portion above the cutaway line Q' and belowthe cutaway line Q is a vertical front view of embodiment 200, whereasthe portion above cutaway line Q is the same minus sheet metal and thatportion below the line Q' is also a front panel absent view. Thus lamp10 is capable of being seen in this view. Also tray 23 can be seen forthe same reason.

Turning briefly to the hardware found in the embodiment of FIG. 4. Shownresting in place on the bottom wall of tank 45 is water delivery system75. This unit is best understood by reference to FIG. 2. Immersible sumppump 01 fixedly secured to its base 1A has a riser 31 in fluidengagement with an outlet at the lower portion of the pump, 01. Typicalof such pumps that can be employed are those manufactured by Peabody-Barnes, such as its SS31. Such pumps are outfitted with from a 1/3 to1/2 horsepower motor. The riser, and all piping conncted thereto may bemade of Schedule 40 PVC or iron treated for rust prevention, such as isemployed in home garden sprinkler piping arrays. Riser 31 is positionedin substantially a vertical orientation, and is connected at its lowerend as indicated previously, and at its upper end to a T connector ofsuitable size, at the base end of said connector, 35. Two T- shaped pipesections 34 are joined at their bases to said T connector 32 to form anH shaped structure, 33. A portion of one of these T shaped units 34 canbe seen in FIG. 1. The terminals of each leg of the H shaped structure33 are closed by suitable plugs 42. Plugs 42 may be threadingly engaged,or adhesed in place or both, as is known to the art. Both T shapesections 34 are oriented to be in the same horizontally positionedplane. If not, difficulty may behad if water is to be pumped angularly,in that the water 41 will be unequally distributed from the foggers40-U. These foggers 40-U are threadingly engaged to the structure 33 atsuitable locations thereupon, via self-tapping apertures in saidstructure 33. While shown positioned on the outside side of the H, 33,it is within the scope of the invention to have the foggers 40positioned also on the inside of the H 33, as well as a combination ofin and out positioned foggers.

Interposed at a suitable location near the upper end of riser 31, on theside of 31 facing the pump 01 is U structure 39, composed of segments36, 37, and 38. Pipe segment 38 is seen to be plugged on its terminalend with a plug 42. This U structure is fixedly secured in fluidcommunication with the flow of water through 34. It, 39 may be attachedto either riser 31 or to H 34. Such a connection is conventional knownto art. U 39 is mounted such that both arms 36, 38 are in the samevertical plane, preferably at a 90° angle to horizontal member 32. Oneor more foggers 40D are mounted in the same manner as those designated40U along arm 38. While not shown, it is within the scope of theinvention to have a water delivery system 75 with foggers positionedupward on arm 36.

Returning now to FIG. 4, there is also shown to be a stated amount ofwater 41 in the tank 45. This water 41 is recycled onto the plants bythe foggers 40, and the excess not taken up by the plants drainsdownwardly into the body of water 41. Thermostatically controlled heater16 which is mounted through one of the walls of tank 45 at aperture 18in said wall. Suitable gasket or waterproofing not shown, but well knownto the art must be employed to prevent leakage of water 41 throughaperture 18. A typical heater that may be employed is a lower voltage 15watt heater made by General Electric, among others.

Drain hole 52 in the bottom of tank 45 communicates with elbow 67, whichis threadingly engaged thereto to form a water-tight egress from thetank. Elbow 67 is connected at the end not attached to 52, to drain 68,which in turn is mounted through an opening in one upstanding wall ofbase 43, and which drain 68 has a closure valve 69 in fluidcommunication therewith mounted at its opposite end.

It is seen that there is no criticality in the location of the fan,except that it should not be preferably on the front wall of chamber 47,and there is no criticality for the location of either the heater of thedrain and drain pipe hole 52 in 45 and its corresponding hole 56 in base43, beneath 52, if the base has a solid top wall as in FIG. 4. Ifhowever a lower cost base is employed such as the one shown in FIG. 6,and contemplated for use in the FIG. 1 embodiment, there is no hole 56as in FIG. 4. In the base embodiment of FIG. 6, the top wall is seen tobe only a frame and is designated 76. Here elbow 67 leads directly tohole 52 in tank 45. The threads 28 are for the attachment of drain 68and valve 69. Optionally in this embodiment, drain pipe 68 can beomitted, with just the valve attached directly to the elbow, while stillachieving the same result. Also optional & not shown is a one wayentrance valve for H₂ O addition to the tank.

FIG. 8 is seen to be a perspective view of a filter 79 to be employedpreferably in riser 31 to to filter out any particulates from the water,to prevent clogging of the foggers 40. Such filters are readilyavailable in any store that sells swimming pool supplies.

Turning back to FIG. 5, there is disclosed a growth tray 23, having agenerally rectangular frame 77, or generally square, with diagonalcross-bracing 25 and two superposed layers of screening. The lowerscreen, which is intended for support and stiffness is of 1/2 inchsquares, plus or minus 0.25 inches, and preferably made of galvanizediron. The top screen is of the 12 to 16 squares per inch and may be ofmetal or plastic. The exact size of the top screen is determined by thesize of the seed. Alfalfa will not go through 16 square per inch mesh.These screenings may be secured to the frame 77 in any convention mannerused in the manufacture of window screens, such as by splines, nails, oradhesive.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a shaking device used in connectionwith the delivery of the minerals to the plants in accordance with theprocess to be recited below. Since its use is not mandatory, it is notshown in FIG. 4. The figure 10 does however reveal its mode of mountingin the top portion of this inventive device. FIGS. 9 and 10 arediscussed in detail hereinafter.

Though not shown in the drawings, it is within the scope of theinvention to provide a water inlet means such as a one way valve ofstandard dimension, e.g. hose connection from the garden diameter, suchthat water can be added to the cabinet 100 as needed.

THE PROCESS OF GERMINATION

It is believed that by understanding the apparatus aforesaid, one willbe in a better position to follow the instant process, which is to becarried out in said apparatus.

Seeds of legumes, such as any of those mentioned previously amongothers, are first washed and soaked in a suitable metal or plasticcontainer, such that all seeds are submerged, in plain water at atemperature which is maintained at about 82° F,± 5° for a few hours.Larger legumes such as lima beans may require as much as 3 hours, inorder to reach a swelled state. In this enlarged size, the seeds, eventhe smallest, are capable of being retained as seeds 78, in screening24, as per FIG. 5. The seeds are scattered in a single layer on one ormore trays and placed into a growth chamber such as 100.

Time clock 58 is then adjusted for the desired control of the foggers ontime. During the sprouting cycle, the foggers 40 are turned on every 15minutes for about 45 seconds, such that the seeds 78 receive a fine mistthus emulating nature with what is called a pseudonatural mistingaction, in that the majority of water to fall upon the seeds andsprouts, later, is from above rather than at what would correspond toearth level.

the foggers are seen to have a # 5 hole for water egress, such that themist is very fine. In order to ensure that any small particulates in thewater do not clog the aperture, filter 79 as shown in FIG. 8 is employedto remove such undesireables, such as flakes of rust. The temperature ofthe fogging mist at time of pumping is about 90° to 92° F. Thistemperture is obtained and maintained by use of thermostatic heater 16.Any water not absorbed by the seed, or later the sprout, drips downthrough screen 23 into tank 45 to become a part of the body of water 41.If the apparatus is outside in very cold weather, the tank water may beheated to as high as 135° F. to maintain the desired mist temperature inthe tank. The 45 second mistings at 15 minute intervals take place tothe cycle end or harvest, actual duration depending upon the outsidetemperature surrounding the instant apparatus. If it is being used on aback porch rather than indoors a longer time is needed. When theenvironment temperature is about 40° F. and under, it is necessary tomist for the full 32+ hours and perhaps a bit longer for large seedlegumes.

At the commencement of the sprouting cycle, the light(s) are turned onin the chamber. Lamp 10 is a standard 150 watt UV or sun lamp. In asmall machine I will have one lamp, and a larger, two or more.Preferably the maximum distance from plants to lamp is 14 inches. Caremust be taken however not to have the sprouts too close to the lamp, eg.under 14 inches in order to prevent the seedings from being burned anddehydrated by the heat generated from the lamps. The fact that seeds areon a lower tray 23, ie. beneath the primary tray 23, in no wayinterferes with the operation of this process. One might however, wantto take the following step to ensure proper germination as desired ofthe lower tray: to have the lamp on in the last six hours of thegermination cycle.

Since the light is maintained at all times during the sprouting cycle,it is seen that what in fact takes place is a "sun shower", during themisting step that reoccurs periodically.

Subsequently after each misting or fogging cycle, the seeds and laterthe sprouts are mineralized. This term is defined as having a chelate(s)of metals, which ones are to be recited below, sprinkled onto the youngsprouts and prior thereto on the unsprouted seeds, manually orautomatically from above. The intervening time when no solution is addedto the sprouting plants varies with each sprout variety.

A desired quantity of seed is placed in the cabinet 47 on the screen 24.These seeds have been previously soaked in lukewarm water for a timeperiod as mentioned previously. The door 12 is closed. The timer 58 isnow turned on such periodically as mentioned. Heated water at the propertemperature is sprayed from the nozzles 40. This intermittent sprayingis continued until the sprouts have grown to about three and one half tofour inches for Mung beans and one to one and one half inches foralfalfa. The optional mineralization step is then carried out asaforesaid. The sprouts can now be removed from the device.

The harvested fresh crisp sprouts when removed from the tray 23 can besoaked in cold water. An agitation of the sprouts will cause the hullsto separate and the sprouts are now ready to be served. The sproutgrowing apparatus 100 and the screen 23 are thoroughly washed and themachine is ready to grow another batch of sprouts. Washing is especiallyrecommended if the mineralization step has been carried out.

When the process of mineralization is to be carried out manually, door12 is opened, and a smaller shaker top container is held by hand in thechamber 47 momentarily with the top held downwardly as per FIG. 9,wherein bottle 80 is shown with shaker top 81 thereon and several fluiddrops of minerals 82 are shown about to impinge upon a plant 83. Thesprinkling is carried on about 2 to 3 inches from the young plants andunsprouted seeds for preferably about 10 seconds, and no more than about20 seconds. The fact that the plants will suffer a slight chillingeffect if the outside temperature is less than that inside the chamber47 has not been seen to have an adverse effect on the young plants,especially since the exposure to the atmosphere is only for a fewseconds.

Preferably, in the last 4 hours of the growth cycle, I reduce themineralization to twice per hour, or about every other half hour. Thisis due to the fact that the plants are now almost ready for harvest assprouts. And the closer to harvest the lesser the effect themineralizion will have upon the young sprouts.

In volume, I add about 0.5 pints of chelated minerals for a tray ofseeds 36 inches by 36 inches. An excellent mineralizer is a commonhousehold salt cellar with a plurality of holes. A tray of seed 24" ×24" uses 2/3rd of 0.5 pints of chelated minerals for the mineralization.The nature of the solution of chelated minerals will be discussed infra.

It is seen that the fogging takes place every 14+ minutes only for aboutthe first 22 to 24 hours of the process, and that the mineralizationstep takes place at the end of 24 hours and continues until harvesttime, generally about 30 to 32+ hours. With this process, alfalfasprouts are ready for harvest after about 32 hours, depending on theseason. A sure sign is when the tops of the sprout take on a change ofcolor from light green with parts of yellow to a solid dark green. Thatperiod is when the green or chlorophyll is chelated to magnesium.

This feeding of a preferably aqueous solution of chelated minerals,(mineralization), can be done manually or automatically.

Turning now to a discussion of the mineralization step to be carried outautomatically. Reference should be had to FIG. 10. Here, verticallymounted small motor, 0.05 hp. motor is secured to the underside of 50via suitable mounting bracket 92 and appropriate screws or bolts, notshown. Such motor 91 must be waterproof and unaffected by the chelatedminerals in the atmosphere of the environment. Gear 93 is mounted on themotor shaft, # not shown, and this in turn engages eccentric 90 in aconventional manner for such hookups. Arm 99 is rotatably mounted on oneend to the eccentric and on its opposite end to jaw 94. Bottle 80 shakertop 81 and drops 82 are the same as in the manual version. Jaw 94 isspring loaded to tightly engage bottle 80. Jaw 94 is secured to arm 99which is held in limiter 96, and 96 being mounted in chamber whereby arm99 is permitted to swing to and fro with a stated path. Deflectionlimiter 96 is mounted at right angles with the vertical axis to 94 in 47and said arm 99 sways within the confines of slot-limiter 96. It isunderstood that the shaker system 98 shown in this figure is skeletalonly, in that only the essential operating parts to achieve the desiredreciprocating motion is depicted.

Motor 91 is connected electrically to timer 58 such that it goes on atthe times desired for the operation of the reciprocal motion of 94, asis necessary for the mineralization step.

When the mineralization is carried on mechanically, the size of thebottle and the timing of the cycle are maintained uniformly, but are thesame as when carried out manually.

Since the mineralization does not commence till after each fogging, itis seen that there is an interspersed period of just "sunshine" with noliquid addition.

Since sprouting can occur without impingement of a chelated mineralsolution, it is seen that the step is not required for the actualsprouting. However when omitted, the plants at the end of the timerequired prior to harvest if treated with minerals, are about half thesize as the treated ones, though ready for harvest.

The total sprouting to harvest time varies from variety to variety oflegume. For alfalfa, the total time is about 32 hours, with the lightson 32; misting the first 22-24 which goes on for 4 to 6 hours, followedby a mineralization period of 4 hours. Arrow A indicates directionalityof bottle movement. It has been found that the growth cycle for harvestfrom seed for alfalfa is 32+ hours, of which the first 24 hours requiremisting and this is followed with an additional moisture in themineralization.

It has also been found that for alfalfa the lack of fresh air or oxygencauses the sprouting time to be lengthened and the growth to be dwarfed.The fan not only stimulates the sprouts with the necessary oxygen, butalso exercises the plant to strengthen its fibers.

By contrast, alfalfa planted in the ground takes about 3 weeks to reachsprout harvesting status.

It is seen in review, that the fine mist of foggers 40 wets andcondenses on the single layer of seeds and on the young sprouts andforms into droplets, which if not absorbed fall down either onto asecond tray 23 of further seeds 78 if present or into the residual water41. As the sprouts grow, the mist condenses on the the constantlygrowing upper portion of the individual sprouts.

The optional mineralization step works in the same general manner,except that the apertures of the bottle shaker 81 are generally largerthan the fogger openings such that larger drops and not a fog areimpinging on the seeds and sprouts.

It is quite obvious, that upon completion of the use of the inventivedevice, excess fluid 41 is disposed of via drain 68 actuated by valve69. Subsequent to draining, the device is readily disassembled. Testinghas indicated that it is important for the minerals to be given to thesprouts in the manner recited, in that attempts to feed minerals throughearly formed roots only caused the sprouts to die. Thus impingement mustbe on the stems and leaves primarily.

I have found that one (1) pound of alfalfa seeds germinated inaccordance with my process will yield about 12 pounds of alfalfa sproutsin from 28 to 36 hours depending upon temperature of both thesurroundings and the mist employed herein. Mung beans can be germinatedto harvestable sprouts in about 32-36 hours.

As is known, legumes represent a whole host of seeds, big and little,with shell hardnesses that differ. Thus I have found that as indicatedbefore, the seed should be soaked in water that is 82° plus or minus 5°for a period of time to induce swelling. Typically I have found that thefollowing require soak times of:

    ______________________________________                                        1.       Lentils          4 hours**                                           2.       Soy Beans        6 hours**                                           3.       Garbanzo beans   8 hours**                                           4.       Alfalfa          2 hours.                                            ______________________________________                                    

The above times for legumes 1,2, and 3 were found to occur only when Iadded a small amount of potassium nitrate to the water. Thus for lentilsI added 1 teaspoon per pint of water.

Soybeans -- added 2 teaspoons per pint of water

Garbanzos -- added 2 teaspoons per pint of water

If the KNO₃ is not added, the soaking times are 8,24 and 16 hoursrespectively for these legumes until swelling takes place.

Each of these last 3 legumes were found to require between 3 and 5 hourslonger to reach a 2 inch sprout size than alfalfa when processedaccording to the techniques aforesaid. Similar swell time reductions areavailable when KNO₃ is added to the soaking solution of other legumes.

THE MINERALS ADDED

The minerals fed to the young sprouts and residual seeds in this processare chelated metals. EDTA, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid shouldn'tbe employed as the chelating agent, I prefer to use soy proteinate,which is sold by Albion Laboratories, Ogden, Ut. because it isassimilateable by the plants. EDTA, is non-selective as to metals & hardto assimilate.

Other chelating agents that I employ with equally good results include:yeast protein, and derived amino acids and bloodmeal, alone orincombination with soy or milk protein.

The metals that I feed in chelated form to my sprouts are calcium,magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc, iron manganese and chromium.In analyses of some of my mature sprouts, lead has been found, but thishas been absorbed from the leaded gas used in our cars and is notdeliberately added. Of the metals that are multivalent, they shouldalways be employed in the plus 2 valence state, e.g. ferrous.

It is interesting to note that the content of lead in alfalfa beforemineralization was 5.0 ppm. and after the addition of minerals it showeda drop to 4.0 ppm. which is very encouraging.

The reasons that I employ proteins as my chelating agents rather thansome other reagents are based upon the nature of the protein moleculesand the properties thereof. Thus, if desired, the reaction of proteinscan be controlled, since they are amphoteric. Depending upon the pH andthe ion concentration of the system, they may be either positively ornegatively charged. Proteins also have the capacity to bind ions. Theextent of binding is a function of the particular protein, the pH of thesystem, and of course, the size, charge and concentration of the ions inquestion. Further details about the nature of protein molecules can befound in chapter 36 of ORGANIC CHEMISTRY by Morrison and Boyd, 3rdedition, 1974, and the role of proteins in the human body in FOOD THEORYAND APPLICATIONS, Paul and Palmer; published by John Wiley and Sons,Inc. at page 120 et seq. Fundamental information on metalloproteins canbe found at page 1530 of the Van Nostrand Encylopedia of Science, 5thEdition. This text also discloses fundamental information on chelatesand chelation, the section on which is incorporated herein by reference.

It is to be seen that the mineralization of the instant process not onlyleads to quicker harvesting time for the legume sprouts, and that theminerals are thus made available for human nutrition, since they arefound in the sprouts in a form that can be assimilated by the humanbody, but an added benefit is deriveable from the mineralization. Whensprouts grown preferably by the instant process, including themineralization step are allowed to mature and in turn go to seed, thereis a higher crop of seeds produced from plants grown according to myprocess. Thus it was found that alfalfa grown according to knowntechniques that did not include mineralization produced about 600 seedsper plant. Alfalfa grown according to this invention with mineralizationproduced about 8500 seeds per plant. Similar results were obtained forother legumes, transplanted into dirt to mature and go to seed as well.

From a commercial point of view, from about 2 oz. of alfalfa seed I canobtain about 1150 sq. inches of young sprouts. When two samples ofsimilar seeds of alfalfa were processed according to the instantinvention, (A) including the mineralization step, and (B) without themineralization step; then planted according to generally acceptedprinciples for growing alfalfa, it was found that lot (A) was ready touse as seed in a period of 3 to 5 months whereas lot (B) had gone toseed in 2 months. A third lot (C) not sprouted in the instant apparatuswere found to take about 6 months to go to seed.

An interesting observation to which no claim is made is the fact that Igrew alfalfa plants, germinated according to my process includingmineralization in my device, next to roses which suffered from aphids,yet the alfalfa were aphids-free.

When work was carried out using soybeans for sprouting, it was foundthat soybeans sprout twice as fast in my device than by conventionalsprouting techniques.

In order to verify the mineral content of sprouts grown according to myprocess, samples of treated sprouts were sent to the Bio-Medical Data,Inc. laboratory in West Chicago, Ill. for analysis. A typical report foralfalfa showed:

                  EXAMPLE I                                                       ______________________________________                                               WITH MINERALIZATION                                                                             WITHOUT                                              ______________________________________                                        Calcium     3270      PPM        1950   PPM                                   Magnesium   5620      PPM        3630   PPM                                   Sodium      3200      PPM        1509   PPM                                   Potassium   19200     PPM        2760   PPM                                   Copper      20        PPM        10     PPM                                   Zinc        100       PPM        96     PPM                                   Iron        85        PPM        81     PPM                                   Manganese   21        PPM        38     PPM                                   Chromium    1.3       PPM        0.6    PPM                                   Lead        4         PPM**      5      PPM                                   ______________________________________                                    

Since no lead was included in the minerals added, it was concluded thatthe lead was absorbed from leaded fuel fumes in the atmosphere.

A similar report was obtained for mineral treated mung beans grown withand without mineralization, with results of:

                  EXAMPLE II                                                      ______________________________________                                                 WITHOUT                                                                       MINERALIZATION WITH                                                  ______________________________________                                        Calcium       645      PPM      4050    PPM                                   Magnesium     2220              5410    PPM                                   Sodium        1400              3070                                          Potassium     3110              16100                                         Copper        10                22                                            Zinc          56                113                                           Iron          50                124                                           Manganese     13                25                                            Chromium      1.2               0.8                                           Lead          1        PPM      7       PPM                                   ______________________________________                                    

The chelated materials I employ preferably employ a soy proteinchelating mineral in conjunction with the metals. For illustrativepurposes, I have found that the following composition is conducive tothe growth of legumes.

    ______________________________________                                        Magnesium           4.5% by wt.                                               Calcium             4.5% by wt.                                               Zinc                0.4% by wt.                                               Iron                0.2% by wt.                                               Manganese           0.12% by wt.                                              Copper              0.05% by wt.                                              Cobalt              0.002% by wt.                                             ______________________________________                                    

The above minerals were formulated with 30% soy protein, and the balancebeing inert material. All of the above metals can be varied plus orminus 25% of each in the makeup of the formula.

A second formula was prepared wherein based upon a 100 pounds ofproduct, 51% by weight was a combination of crude soy protein andchelated metals. The protein was about 30% by weight, based on 100%. Thebalance was bloodmeal, about 40 to 43% and inert material.

In order to determine what is the best chelated metal diet for aparticular legume, and then again the exact growth purpose is necessary,one should perform a chemical analysis of the legume. By analyzing theleaves, one can determine what metals are in the plant. Inspectionshould also be had of the the stem and root system. If the sprout werethe most desirous form of the plant, then a young sprout should beanalyzed to determine the actual needs of the sprout of the particularplant. If a sprout were found to contain say X amount of Uranium forexample, one could increase the uranium content of the plant by feedingchelated uranium. Thus one works backwards to determine the food to befed.

The preparation of chelated materials is well known to the art. Indeedmuch has been written for instance in "Chelating Agents and MetalChelates" by Dwyer and Miller, Academic Press New York and London, 1964among others. Reference should also be had to a new patent of AlbionLaboratories issued April 26th, 1977 bearing U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,158.

In brief the process of making the proteinate, chelant is prepared asfollows. A protein such as protein meal is subjected to acid hydrolysis.The acid splits off the amino acids and small peptides. Then one addsthe desired metals to be chelated, usually in the form of oxides,sulfates, chlorides or carbonates. After adjustment of the pH anddrawing off of the acid medium that may be present, one ends up with achelated protein, which is usually of a pH of about 7, i.e. neutral.Usually the end product is air dried to remove moisture to yield a dryproduct. This dry product may be re-mixed in a water solution and addedto the plants in accordance with the techniques heretofore described.

The question may be asked as to why one would bother to prepare a metalchelate, rather than a feed of the original sulfates, chlorides, oxidesetc. of any and all of the mentioned metals. The answer is acceptabilityof that form of the metal by the particular plant being fed. It has beenestablished that certain plants may accept and metabolize certainmetals, only if the metal is in an acceptable form. That is, the pluscharge(s) have been removed and the metal is neutralized as by beingtied up with a protein in an essentially neutral product. The neutralform of many metals can pass easier through the root wall and otherparts of the plant for faster metabolization than can the chargedversion from a dry or liquid standard plant food. Sometimes onlychelated metals are absorbed, and non-chelated metals are not.

Thus if a plant wants iron, it may not want it in the form of Ironchloride which is polar and charged.

I believe, but cannot prove, that my increased yields in the seed cropsof the legumes I have treated is based upon the nutrition available tothe plants not only at a young age, but also during growth. Thus anextremely healthy plant will yield a super crop of seed.

It is to be seen therefore, that my work relates broadly to the care andfeeding and breeding of legumes. The formula set forth above has beenfound to be beneficial to the growth and development of legumes.However, one or more of the list of components could be omitted.

Further information on the manufacture of metal proteinates can be foundin U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,540 issued to Jensen, July 13, 1976 which isincorporated herein by reference.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention herein involved, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description and shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

I claim:
 1. The method of growing legume sprounts which comprises:a.providing a bed of seeds within a confined area of a growth chamber; b.periodically introducing into said chamber a fine mist or fog of waterabove the seed bed, for a predetermined amount of time; c. providing UVlight in said growth chamber from the commencement of the germinationcycle until the sprouts that germinate from seed are ready for harvest,further including feeding the sprouts and seeds chelated minerals atleast after each mist introduction has ceased wherein the feedingcomprises impinging a solution of chelated minerals primarily upon thestems and leaves of the sprouts.
 2. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding the presoaking of the seeds in water to soften the seed, priorto providing a bed of seeds in the growth chamber.
 3. The method ofclaim 2 wherein the seeds are soaked in water maintained at atemperature of 82°± 5° F. for about two hours.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the misting step is carried on at 15 minute intervalsapproximately, for about 45 seconds, per interval.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 wherein the temperature of the mist is about 90° to 92° F. 6.The method of claim 4 wherein the total misting period for the intervalsis about 28 to about 32 hours.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein mistwater not absorbed by the seeds or sprouts in each misting step isallowed to collect for recycling and reuse during the next misting step.8. The method of claim 1 including removing excess water not absorbed bythe seeds or sprouts for reheating and recycling, the temperature of thewater being applied during the misting steps being within the range of90° to 92° F.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the bed of seeds isprovided one seed high over the bed.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe feeding of chelated minerals is continued periodically after themist introduction has terminated.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein thechelated minerals comprise a metal chelated with protein or amino acidand at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ca, Mg, Na,K, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr and combinations thereof.
 12. The method ofgrowing superior alfalfa sprouts which comprises:a. providing a bed ofwashed and presoaked alfalfa seeds in a single seed thick layer within aconfined area of a growth chamber, b. periodically introducing a mist orfog or water above the seed bed for a predetermined amount of time, c.providing UV light in said growth chamber for the duration of thegermination in the germination cycle, d. feeding the alfalfa seeds andsprouts chelated minerals at least after each mist introduction hasceased, wherein the feeding comprises impinging a solution of chelatedminerals primarily upon the stems and leaves of the sprouts of alfalfa.